NPR recently unearthed an 1883 book penned by Army First Lt.
H.H.C. Dunwoody that looked at the correlation between animal behavior,
particularly cats, and the weather. The book was commissioned by the U.S. War
Department and approved by the chief signal officer for the U.S. Army Signal
Service, predecessor to today's National Weather Service.

Dunwoody thought meteorologists should not focus on
technology but look at the natural works around them to study the weather.

"It is possible that a more accurate observation of the
condition of plants or the condition or actions of animals might lead to some
valuable suggestion in this important field of investigation," he wrote.

Dunwoody's book contained a collection of animal and weather
connections, including the fact that bats flying late in the evening indicated
fair weather. Most of his attention, however, was paid to cats, which he wrote "have
the reputation of being weather wise."

Here are some of his feline predictors Dunwoody noted:

When cats sneeze it is a sign of rain.

When a cat scratches itself, or scratches on a log or tree,
it indicates approaching rain.

The direction to which a cat turns and washes her face after
a rain shows the direction from which the wind will blow.

When cats lie on their head with mouth turned up expect a
storm.

When cats are snoring, foul weather follows.

When a cat washes her face with her back to the fire expect
a thaw in winter